Umbrella frame



Jan. 31, 1961 J. KREMER UMBRELLA FRAME Filed June 10, 1957 INVENTOR Tv/fus Ifremer- United States Patent O UMBRELLA Julius Kremer, Solingen-Wald, Germany, assignor t'o Kortenbach & RauhtKommanditgesellschaft, Solingen- Weyer, Germany Filed JlllleV 10, 1957, Ser. N0. 664,573 Claims priority, application Germany Oct. 26, 1956 1 Claim. (Cl. 13S-23) The present invention relates to an umbrella frame in which two or more umbrella stick sections are telescopically moved into each other against the thrust of a spring in order to unfold the umbrella. With umbrella frames of this type, one stick section carries the customary umbrella crown for the ribs, while the other umbrella stick section carries a crown having joined thereto the inner ends of the stays. In order to obtain an automatic closure of the umbrella, various types of springs have been suggested. Thus, it is known to design the stays as leaf springs which are connected to each other so as to form a zigzag-shaped ring. If such an umbrella has been opened by telescopically moving the stick sections into each other, the leaf springs are under tension which tension is relieved when the umbrella is closed again.

It is an objection of the present invention to provide an improved umbrella frame which will be considerably simpler than umbrella frames of the above mentioned type while being able to produce the same eieect as the latter.

It is another object of this invention to provide an umbrella frame which can be opened by moving umbrella stick sections into each other and which also can selectively be used in the manner of a cane, i.e. as a support.

It s still another object of this invention to provide an umbrella frame which makes it possible selectively to open the umbrella frame either in the manner of standard umbrellas or by moving stick sections into each other.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specication in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates an umbrella frame according to the invention showing the umbrella stick in section and showing two ribs and two stays in view.

Figure la is a fragmentary view showing at somewhat enlarged scale a portion of the umbrella with the umbrella latched in its open position.

Fig. 2 illustrates on a scale somewhat larger than that of Fig. l the holding mechanism.

Fig. 3 shows the manner in which the closing spring is linked to the ribs.

Fig. 4 corresponds substantially to Fig. 2 With the eX- ception that the runner has been moved upwardly with regard to its position in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line V-V of Fig. 2.

General arrangement The umbrella frame according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that small tension springs are arranged between the ribs and the stays, said tension springs having the same effect as stays designed in the manner of leaf springs. For purposes of operating the umbrella frame, a runner is provided which holds the stick sections together when the umbrella frame is in collapsed condition. Such runner makes possible a very simple operation of the umbrella frame. In order to facilitate the manipulation of the runner. the latter may be provided with a bell-shaped or cup-shaped member.

2,969,798 Patented. Jan.y 3l,- 19,61

2 Structural. arrangement Referring nowfto. the-drawings, in detail and Figs. 140,13.

thereof in'` particular, the umbrella framezshown4 therein.rr

comprisesv an:l innexf:` upper stick; section 1y and an outen lower stick section2. Near the. outer end of the innen stick section 1 there is xedly connected thereto the customary umbrella crown 3 which has linked thereto the inner ends of the customary ribs 4. That portion of the stick section 1 which extends outwardly beyond the crown 3 forms the umbrella tip 5 which may be designed in any convenient manner. Near the outer end of the outer stick section 2 there is fxedly connected thereto a crown 6 which has linked thereto the inner ends of the stays 7. Each of the stays 7 has linked thereto one end of a closing spring 8 the other end of which is anchored on a pin or rivet 9 (Fig. 3) of the clip 10. The clips 10 respectively fastened to the ribs 4 carry in customary manner a pivot 11 for the stays 7. When the two stick sections 1 and 2 are telescopically moved into each other for purposes of opening up the umbrella frame, the said springs 8 are expanded. For purposes of opening up the umbrella frame, the umbrella tip 5 may for instance be placed against the ground whereupon by means of the umbrella handle connected to the lower end of the stick section 2 (see Fig. 2), the outer stick section 2 is pushed downwardly over the inner stick section 1. In this way, the umbrella tip 5 moves in the direction toward the stay crown 6 so that the stays 7 spread the ribs 4 in customary manner. When the outer stick section 2 is closest to tip 5, the two stick sections 1 and 2 are locked to each other by means of a pawl 12 (see Fig. la). In conformity with Fig. 2, the pawl 12 is arranged in the lower end of the stick section 2 by means of a rivet or pin 13 and is loaded by a spreader spring 14. The pawl 12 has two nose-like protrusions 15 and 16 of which the protrusion or nose 15 serves for coupling the two stick sections 1 and 2 together.

AIn order to collapse the umbrella frame, the outer stick section 2 has slidably mounted thereon a runner 17 which when moved relative to the stick section 2 is adapted t0 actuate the protrusion or nose 16 of the pawl 12 so as to push the nose 16 inwardly into the interior of the stick section 2 (see Fig. 4). In this way the two tubular stick sections 1 and 2 are disconnected from each other so that the springs 8 which at this time are under tension will close the umbrella frame.

The runner 17 is provided with a cup or bell-shaped member 18 to facilitate the handling or manipulation of the runner 17. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the runner 17 is provided with a pin 19 whereas the umbrella stick section 2 is provided with a slot 20 in which the pin 19 may move relative to the stick section 2 and be guided thereby. A spring 21 is arranged between the pin 19 and the pin 13 which spring 21 returns the runner 17 to its normal or starting position.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings but also comprises any modications within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In an umbrella frame: a first stick member, a second stick member telescopically arranged within said first stick member, said stick members being telescopically displaceable relative to each other, a plurality of ribs, tirst link means linking one end of said ribs to said second stick member, a plurality of stays, second link means linking one end of said stays to said rst stick member, third link means linking the other ends of said stays to said ribs, latch means in form of a pawl having a first nose and a second nose, said latch means being arranged inside said tirst stick member and being adapted to cause said first nose to enter said second stick member for locking the latter to said rst stick member, spring means 3 associated with said latch means for continuously urging said first nose when engaging said second stick member to maintain locking engagement therewith, sleeve means slidably mounted on said rst stick member and operable to engage Vsaid second nose to thereby tilt said latch means so as to remove said rst nose from locking engagement with said second stick member, and a plurality of tension springs, each of said tension springs resiliently connecting one of said stays with the respective adjacent rib.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hager Mar. 22, 1898 Cameron Dec. 12, 1899 Fretz Oct. 13, 1914 Ayres Ian. 12, 1926 Kortenbach Nov. 12, 1929 `Wuster Dec. 17, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 31, 1896 France Apr. 15, 1907 France Feb. 11, 1914 

